Clinic Receives Illuminate Award from Oasis For Girls

November 10, 2014

Women’s Community Clinic was honored this past Thursday by fellow women’s empowerment nonprofit Oasis For Girls, at their 15th Anniversary Celebration, Shine! The Clinic received their Illuminate Award, presented to a nonprofit organization that “provides impactful programs to improving the lives of low income, young women of color in San Francisco.” For the past seven years, the two organizations have partnered through the Clinic’s Western Addition Health Training (WAHT) program, which leads workshops on sexual health, relationships, body image, and more to young women throughout San Francisco.

The partnership is a natural fit. Oasis For Girls’ mission is to partner with young women of color from under resourced communities in San Francisco to help them cultivate the skills, knowledge, and confidence to discover their dreams and build strong futures. The organization runs three programs for young girls: a Life Skills Program (RISE Program), an Arts Education Program (the CREATE Program), and a Career Exploration program (ENVISION Program). Participants of any program earn stipends while attending program activities in 8-12 week sessions.

Similarly, the Western Addition Health Training Program of the Women’s Community Clinic offers fellowships in health care career development, and leads community based workshops for hundreds of young women and girls each year. WAHT was established in the belief that addressing health inequities in communities requires a multi-faceted approach that incorporates direct service with education, mentorship, and leadership training.

Says Oasis For Girls Executive Director Jessica Van Tuyl, “Women’s Community Clinic’s education work with our girls has dramatically improved their ability to negotiate healthy sexual relationships with their partners, improved their access to information about the female reproductive system and safer sex, and increased the number of girls receiving female focused healthcare services.”

Oasis For Girls held the Shine! Celebration at Twitter’s headquarters, and was attended by a sold-out crowd. Guests enjoyed live music, a silent auction, and remarks from Ysabel Duron, the founder of Latinas Contra Cancer. Other awardees and partners included Alliance for Girls and Twitter.